This application pertains to the art of electrical connectors and, more particularly, to plug-in jacks for electrical busways or the like.
Electrical busway systems include the type where an enclosure surrounds a plurality of electrical busbars, and a downwardly facing slot in the enclosure provides access to the busbars for a plug-in jack. Plug-in jacks for busways fo this typecommonly include a head portion connected with a base portion by a relatively narrow neck portion. The head portion has a narrow dimension for reception of the head portion through the slot in the busway enclosure until the neck portion extends through the slot. The plug-in jack is then rotated 90 degrees for engaging electrical contact buttons carried by the head portion with busbars in the enclosure and releasably locking the plug-in jack in its operating position. In previous arrangements, the base portion and the neck portion were of metal, and a metal carrier portion integral with the neck portion carried a block of electrical insulating material having the electrical contact buttons mounted therein. Locking means for holding the plug-in jack in its operating position frequently comprise bullet catches mounted on the base portion on opposite sides of the neck portion.
Previous plug-in jacks of the type described have been quite expensive due to the metal casting forming the base portion, the neck portion and carrier portion, and also due to the fact that assembly of a contact button carrier to the carrier portion of the metal casting was required, along with assembly of the bullet catches to the base portion.
It would be desirable to have a plug-in jack which would be much less expensive than prior arrangements, both from a material and assembly standpoint.